Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 224 Light and Darkness (Part Two)
In the City Hall of Night, there is an official position with considerable power:

The prosecutor is one of the few government positions in this free city willing to serve the crumbling laws and conscience.

However, the reality seems to be quite different. Institutions such as Night City Hall operate under the supervision of prosecutors, and the long whip of the law never seems to reach the corporations.

Only those residents who pay attention to the affairs of Night City know that among those politicians who turn a deaf ear to the suffering of the people, very few are actually humane... at least on the surface.

……

In a penthouse in the company plaza, Jefferson's desk was piled high with documents, and the ashtray was overflowing with cigarette butts scattered around the edges. His usually impeccable hairstyle looked disheveled, and his eyes, fixed on the documents, were bloodshot.

snap…

Jefferson's trembling hands, trembling from staying up all night, made several attempts before he finally managed to bring the lighter to the crumpled tip of the cigarette in his mouth.

To become a councilor in Night City and advance towards the highest goals, these documents and regulations—and countless rules—are not simply a matter of memorization; he needs to understand and apply them to stand in the debate arena and speak eloquently with voters; only in this way can he realize his ambitions.

"Honey... this isn't good for your health."

Jefferson turned to the side, and his lover, Elizabeth, took the cigarette he had only taken a puff or two from, and softly comforted him.

Men crave comfort during times of emotional distress, so he gazed tenderly at Elizabeth's hand resting on his shoulder, gave her a reassuring smile, and patted the back of her hand to try and lighten his expression.

"Uh... I have something important to do, and now is not the time to slack off."

Elizabeth crossed one arm and silently took a drag of her cigarette. "Ever since we lost to Arasaka, we've been in a precarious situation... Well, you know that woman, [Georgina Zabinski], is eyeing us covetously."

"If you have a choice, I still hope you can relax a bit. The Night City selection won't take place until early 2077. It's not a good idea to ruin your health now."

Jefferson slowly leaned back in his seat, his eyes slightly narrowed, the name Arasaka lingering in his mind—

"Yes, I've only recently come up from my position as a prosecutor. If I show weakness or fail to gain any advantage from the company, those who voted for me will naturally stop supporting me. As for Georgina... I may have already dealt with her, but she still hasn't been promoted. This is a good opportunity for us to catch our breath."

Elizabeth was somewhat puzzled. "Uh... sorry Jefferson, Georgina is young, like a starving, savage brown bear—excuse my use of that adjective, but she really does seem very aggressive. Since she can't come up here and no one can take your place... what are you worried about?"

Elizabeth was fascinated by Jefferson because, no matter the situation, this man always wore a charming, confident smile.

"It's about seniority. Being a young prosecutor is a good thing, but it's also a bad thing... She's very clean in her work and has a few ruthless people on her side who aren't afraid to cross the line. However, she's not good at showing her face, so I used a simple method to get the city hall and the mayor to acknowledge it."

Jefferson changed the subject, sighed, and said, "I'm doing all this here because of the pressure—"

As he spoke, he pulled out a bunch of discrete chips from the drawer beside him, including money chips that had long been rendered useless by hackers, and so on... Elizabeth, being the wife of a politician, was well-educated and had excellent intelligence and ability. She instantly understood her husband's meaning.

"Arasaka?"

Elizabeth walked to the French windows and waved her hand gently, instantly obscuring the transparent glass with a dark hue.

Jefferson stood up. “Arasaka, military technology, they’re all greedy devils who won’t give up—do you know how much these companies have squandered? I have to be wary not only of myself, but also of my subordinates, my family, and even our daughter who’s studying abroad has received huge sums of luxury goods.”

Elizabeth's face froze. "This..."

At this point, Jefferson couldn't contain his anger.

"The military technology is alright; they know we're not on the same side and are very sensible... But it's this Arasaka who has tried to drag us into this countless times. So I need to gain some initiative and let Arasaka know that their coercion and enticement will not work!"

Elizabeth nodded, stubbed out her cigarette, and said, "I want to say... I'm proud of you, darling."

Jefferson, hands on his hips, said, “The people from Arasaka who live near my house are wandering around like they’re blind. I planned that debate on the TV channel for a long time—I even used my connections to get other companies to force Arasaka to sit in the studio… I almost did!”

As he spoke, he gestured with his hand to indicate that they were very close. "The financial fraud by Arasaka was so obvious that we could have made them admit it immediately, but I didn't expect something like this to happen with biotechnology... They made assurances repeatedly, but in order to clean up their mess, I almost lost my position as a newly elected senator!"

Elizabeth: "Damn it..."

Jefferson shook his head, trying to steady his breathing. "These rogue companies in Night City... are the last force I want to cooperate with."

Elizabeth had long known of her husband's ambitions.

Perhaps this was already evident during his time as a prosecutor. As a prosecutor, he naturally handled many cases, and because of his outstanding abilities, he was generally responsible for reviewing the cases of Westbrook and Watson—the biggest contributor to the Night City case was the gang.

Jefferson knew who was behind the Tiger Claw gang, so he was very firm in his stance on Arasaka's company.

But Elizabeth was worried; she didn't want her husband to become arrogant. "Aren't the well-known companies in Night City... within our scope of cooperation? What about the Night Corporation? Does that include it too?"

Jefferson shook his head. "No, no, no... I think you still don't understand, Elizabeth; this isn't about any particular company, because I've long seen through these people's hypocrisy, even more so than the people at City Hall. The investments I received were completely clean, our house, our daughter's tuition, the comfortable life we ​​enjoy—all of it is clean—"

"That's why the company is going crazy trying to get me... Admittedly, I have to adapt to the rules here, but I'm sitting here working late into the night, constantly analyzing and planning, all to get rid of them, and I'm very close!"

There was a long silence.

Jefferson rested his hands on the table, his seemingly broad arms actually revealing a hint of vulnerability.

Elizabeth stepped forward and hugged the man's arm, tilting her head back with slightly red eyes.

She was well aware of her husband's current situation and understood his meaning. Jefferson, elected as a congressman after serving as a prosecutor, was most notably characterized by his public appearances, impeccable reputation, and lack of scandals—his absolute focus and loyalty in everything he did had garnered him a large following. The path Jefferson sought was the standard climbing route for new American politicians before the corporate wars.

His family had accumulated wealth, as had his wife, which at least ensured they wouldn't be held hostage by the dirty conglomerates of Night City. People without weaknesses are often the most interesting type of people for companies; they fear that such fearless individuals might have the status and power to challenge them.

During their conversation, Jefferson was completely unaware that all the electronic systems in the heavily guarded, sparsely populated luxury apartment building had malfunctioned, and that the apartment door, which was far from Jefferson's office, had already been opened.

A team of fully armed Arasaka ninjas walked silently on the floor, but as they filed in, clear footsteps could be heard behind them.

V's eyes still held the lingering red of the security breach, as he stood in the luxurious living room, arms crossed, patiently waiting for the owner of the penthouse to emerge—his carefree expression suggesting he wasn't the intruder at all.

If Jefferson had truly become part of Night City's urban management and operations, Arasaka might not have dared to do so, but V would dare to do it at any time—as long as it was beneficial to the goal, she would do it.

The surroundings were silent, but V's eyes were fixed on the left wall of the apartment, moving slowly as if something was moving behind it.

In fact, she saw everything clearly: Jefferson was holding the gun and protecting his wife from behind, because she had access to the apartment's surveillance system...

"bass…"

The two ninjas standing in front of V made a slight rustling sound as their sharp katana blades rubbed against their sheaths, as if they could execute the approaching person with swift and decisive action, without even needing V's command.

“Jefferson Peralez, please forgive my abruptness—because you don’t seem to care much about us, I resorted to this method. Of course, I also suggest you put down your gun; I’m not here to give you a chance to fire.”

V's cool voice echoed in the living room, and then the room began to light up with a harmonious glow.

Jefferson stood beside the niche, gun in hand, with a pale-faced Elizabeth beside him. More than fear, Jefferson's face showed humiliation, the kind of unbridled arrogance and bravado that came from the company trampling on Night City's laws.

Jefferson swore he had never seen such a person as Arasaka, since they usually only knew Arasaka's management... especially the woman with her high ponytail, a sharp black corporate suit, and slightly aggressive eyebrows; most impressive of all were her eyes, with long, sharp corners that gave the impression of being watched by a predator.

V is quite carefree.

"V, Director of the Counterintelligence Department of Arakasaka, Acting Director of the Security Department."

Jefferson's pupils contracted slightly as his mind was quickly overwhelmed by information he had been arbitrarily ignoring.

As a member of parliament, he had naturally paid attention to the company's personnel changes, and he even knew about Michiko Arasaka's resignation. However, he had not been able to find any information about the head of Arasaka's "enforcement officer" department through any news channels. Now that he had seen it, Jefferson felt a little scared.

She was too young, which made Jefferson worry about the potential consequences of pairing such a high position with a young person. He worried that she might not talk much to him at all, and that it could easily lead to uncontrollable consequences.

"The company has the right to exemption, but Night City doesn't seem to have given you the right to enter citizens' homes without permission!"

Jefferson's hand holding the gun moved, and Arasaka Ninja immediately prepared to charge forward!
V gripped the hilt of the knife, staring at the man who, out of politeness, hadn't sworn, and then smiled...

“You’re not an ordinary citizen, because no ordinary citizen would dare to refuse a company like you do.”

V's patent leather high heels clicked crisply on the floor. She walked to the sofa and slowly sat down, carefully observing Jefferson and his wife. "I always thought I would never have anything to do with you in this life... As you can see, Arasaka mostly extends goodwill, but you keep rejecting it, slapping Arasaka in the face and undermining him more than once. I'm serving the company's interests, so I've come to you for an explanation—"

"Isn't it okay?"

V's lips curled up, and he crossed his legs. His words could be summarized as: "You don't give us face, so I'm here to cause trouble."

Sure enough, Jefferson instinctively thought of running towards the rooftop outside…

But as he followed his gaze, against the backdrop of the pitch-black night and neon lights behind the glass, as one after another Arasaka agent appeared with his hands clasped in front of him, he felt a sense of despair.

"Arasaka, you really are a bunch of unruly thugs! You'll pay the price one day."

Elizabeth added after her husband finished speaking: "It seems that Arasaka is indeed not very good. It's a shame that you, a wicked woman who acts without regard for consequences and tramples on dignity, have to do these dirty things."

These words had no effect on V, and were not even as offensive as the curses hurled by some clueless, drunken street urchins in Watson District, who would actually call him a "stupid corporate dog."

V's expression slowly began to fade—

"Alright, we can talk about the unpleasant things later."

Jefferson gritted his teeth, "Don't even think about it!"

V shrugged. "Oh? What if it's to your advantage?"

Then, speaking calmly, she continued, “In the new American judicial system, juries are composed of ordinary citizens who are responsible for hearing the evidence and arguments before making a verdict. After hearing all the evidence and arguments, the jury members will vote to determine whether the defendant is guilty. Members of Congress, as jury members, participate in this stage of voting and make a verdict on the case…”

Jefferson had no idea what this woman, who was here reciting laws and executive orders, was trying to say.

V raised his hand. “It’s simple. I need you to understand a case concerning the ownership of a company, and to make the right choice with your people during the voting stage—in order to uphold your simple demand for justice under the law, I declare here that Arasaka should indeed win…it’s just that someone is playing around.”

Jefferson's face turned ashen; he had never imagined that Arakasaka would use such a rude method to pressure a senator!
As for what V said, he didn't want to believe a single word of it.

……

……

(End of this chapter)